Hat



Oct. 1943. L. DAVIS 2,331,661

' HAT Filed April 22, 1940 Patented Oct. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES ?A'I',li'.1 1"[f. OFFICE HAT Leonard Davis, HamiltcmOntario, Canada Application April 22, 1940, Serial No.'330,834 f t was; (01. i -1 2i],

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of hats and is more particularly designed for incorporation in mens headgear. The object of my invention is to provide a perforated ventilation band adapted to be positioned between the lower edge of the crown of the hat" and the head of the wearer;

Ventilating constructions incorporated in hats and positioned between the hat and the head of the wearer have been used heretofore but have pattern forming a ventilating mesh. Such construction could not be successfully used in a soft hat due to the flexibility of the crown of the hat and the flaccid characteristics of woven thread mesh.

A particular object of my present "invention-is 1 to furnish a suitably, perforated band structure which can be readily sewn or otherwise secured to the inner face of the crown of a soft hat and which will be as flexible as the hat itself and yet effectively space the crown of the hat away from the head of the wearer and thus permit the free passage of air into the crown of the hat.

A further object of my invention is to provide my perforated spacing member of corrugated form so that it can very readily adapt itself to various head shapes without'losing its ventilating efliciency.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as shall further appear, my invention consists of a ventilating band for hats formed and arranged all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 illustrates a soft felt hat fitted with my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional View through a fragmentary portion of the side of the crown of the hat and partof the brim, and showing my corrugated ventilating device, also in cross-section, secured thereto.

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of a portion of a hat and ventilating device as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar viewto Figure 2 and showing my device without the corrugations, and,

Figure 5 is an inverted plan view of a portion of a hat and ventilating device as illustrated in Figure 4.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different 'views o'f 'the drawing.

My ventilating device may be broadly described as being "of trough-shaped form andias illus-- ,trated in Figure' 2, "having sidemember's' I- and Zand a corrugated bottom 3, and in Figure 4 as having side members-4 and 5 and a flat or' rounded bottom 6. The hat,*as' illustrated in Figure 1, is shown fittedwith my ventilating device as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

The sides 2 and f the two typesof troughshaped ventilating band are sewn, as by stitching "Lorotherwise secured to the side 8 of the" crownof the hat, and the bottoms of the bands preferably'positioned so as to be substantially flush'wit-hthe under face of the hat brim 9.

The band,a's illustrated in Figures 2 and 3,

is perforated by a plurality of substantially long,

slot-like apertures Hl which, as illustrated in Figure 2, can-extend in width from the center of the outer corrugation H to the centerof the inner corrugation I2. In the band illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 the slots l3 can be of any desirable width and length.

It is, of course, to be understood that my trough-shaped band extends right around the inner face of the crown of the hat to which it is attached, and that it may be moulded in ring form to fit a particular size of hat, or formed in a long curved or spiral strip from which a length of band is cut off and sewn into a hat. The ventilating band is formed of any suitable material that is sufiiciently pliable to conform itself to the head of the wearer and yet at the same time having sufficient body to retain itself in its correct position Within the crown of the hat. Suitable materials for the construction of of my ventilating band may be found within the various cellulose acetate or resin plastics, or the band may be formed of one of the many recently deve-lopedsynthetic rubbers.

Natural rubber is not altogether desirable for the manufacture ofthe bands, for as is Well known, oil has a very deleterious effect on natural rubber, and therefore perspiration or other body oils would in time tend to break down the pounds which have all the necessary characteristics required for the present invention. If any of the desirable plastics or synthetic rubbers from which the ventilating band can be formed are found to have too smooth a surface to frictionally grip the head of the wearer, the inner face of the wall of the band can carry a strip of leather M or other suitable material, as illustrated in Figure 4.

When the purchaser of a new hat containing my ventilating band is being fitted, a hat is selected wherein the inner side member of the flexible trough-shaped band closely fits the head of the purchaser without being materially distended. In this way the bottom of the trough-shaped band is not pressed out of shape nor are the ventilation holes therein reduced in size. Thus when the hat is correctly fitted the crown of the hat is spaced away from the head of the wearer and the trough-shaped ventilating band substantially retains its original shape as it wasbefore being placed upon the head of the wearer. In-the corrugated type of band :as illustrated in Figures 2 and 8, greater latitudein the fitting of the hat is permitted as the corrugated-bottom of the band will permit a greater degree of flexibility without affecting the size of the air passage apertures in the band.

While the-ventilating band is primarily intended to permit the free passage of air between the side of the crown of the hat and the head of the wearer and thus keep the head of'the wearer cool, particularly in thesummer time, it will be appreciated that if the weather is extremely hot and thehead of the wearershould-perspire in spite of the ventilation around the hat, that the perspiration will not have a tendency to soak into the crown of the hat and stain the hat band The question of perspirationstains, as practically every man knows, is one ofthe greatest objectionsto wearing a hat during hot weather,

and it will therefore be appreciated that with my invention the head of the wearer of the hat will in the first place be kept relatively cool due to the ventilation provided by this invention, and furthermore if the wearer of the hat should perspire, the hat is sufliciently spaced away from the head to practically obviate any possibility of perspiration stain on the hat itself. Although I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I can make such changes and alterations as I may at any time deem necessary without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A hat ventilating device of the character described comprising a pliable band of pre-formed substantially trough-shape with the Walls of the trough spaced apart, and a horizontal corrugation integrally forming part of and extending longitudinally of the bottom of the trough-shaped band and extending around the bandsubstantially concentrically with the walls thereof and having ventilation orifices therein, one wall of the trough-shaped band being adapted to be attached to the hat structure and the other wall to encircle the head of the wearer.

2. A hat ventilating device of the character described comprising a pliable band of pre-formed substantially trough-shape withthe walls of the trough spaced apart and of pre-formed shape to follow the curvature of the inside of' the crown of a hat, and a horizontal corrugation integrally forming part of and extending longitudinally of the bottom of the trough-shaped band and extending around the band substantially concentrically with the walls thereof 'and having ventilation orifices therein,'one wall of the troughshaped band being adapted to be attached to the hat structure and the otherwall to encircle the head of the wearer.

a LEONARD DAVIS. 

